1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicle sunroof device. A tilting lid is provided at a front part of an opening formed in the roof of a vehicle, which can be moved vertically at a rear end thereof. A sliding lid is provided at a rear part of the opening, which can be moved longitudinally.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, an example of this type of a vehicle sunroof device is disclosed, for instance, in Japanese Patent Publication No. Hei. 3-73487. This device is constructed such that a tilting lid disposed at a front part of an opening formed in the roof of a vehicle is tilted up by lifter mechanisms, that a sliding lid disposed at a rear part of the opening is slid backward by slider mechanisms slidably fitted in guide rails disposed on both side edge portions of the opening. Further, interlocking means are each provided between a driving wire for driving the slider and the lifter mechanism which the interlocking means are each adapted to be disengaged after the lifter mechanism completes its rising movement and to be coupled together when the lifter mechanism starts to lower, whereby a series of closing operations of the sliding lid can be performed only by the driving wires.
In the aforementioned vehicle sunroof device, however, there is a little drawback in both lifter and slider mechanisms. That is, the lifter mechanisms for tilting the lid and the slider mechanisms for sliding the lid are disposed longitudinally one after another along the both side edges of the roof. Accordingly, the full length of the mechanism portion on each side becomes long in a longitudinal direction. And this becomes disadvantage in that inserting the mechanism portion into the roof from a rear end side of the roof becomes troublesome work. Further, there may be caused a risk for the lifter mechanisms to interfere thereof with a drain groove and a reinforcement member in order to strengthen the roof due to the provision thereof on the both sides of the roof at a front end.
Further, in the another type of conventional vehicle sunroof devices, a sliding lid for opening and closing an opening formed in a roof of a vehicle is longitudinally and slidably mounted on guide rails fixed on both sides of the opening via front and rear sliders. So that, when it is operated from a fully closed position, the sliding lid is first lowered at a rear end thereof by the rear sliders, and then substantially and simultaneously with the lowering operation, the sliding lid is also lowered at a front end thereof by the front sliders. After that, it is slid rearward (Please refer, for instance, Japanese Patent Publication No. Hei. 5-319099).
In a conventional sunroof device such as described above, however, there is a risk that seal members mounted around edges of the opening in the roof. Especially for one at the front edge may be damaged at an earlier time due to frequent rubbing of the sliding lid against the seal member at the front edge of the opening.
In order to eliminate such a risk as described above, it is contemplated that the front end of the sliding lid in addition to a rear end is also lifted and/or lowered independently from the rear end thereof while the sliding lid is being opened or closed. But with the structure like this there would be caused unstable supports of the front and rear ends of the sliding lid, and resulting in the risk that the sliding lid may stagger in lateral directions.
In addition, in a conventional example as described above, since various types of guide means are disposed in parallel laterally of guide rails, the lateral width of the guide rail has to be increased, and this causes a problem that an opening formed in the roof has to be narrowed to an extent equal to such an increase in width.
Further, in a conventional vehicle sunroof device, sliding bodies are slidably attached to guide rails provided on both side edge portions of an opening formed in a roof of a vehicle, and rubber rollers are rotatably supported on the sliding bodies, whereby a movable panel (sliding lid) is moved to an opened state and/or a closed state when the rubber rollers progressively press against bottom sides of movable blocks fixed to the movable panel and production of looseness of respective parts is prevented by eliminating gaps therebetween by biasing the elastic bodies (Please refer, for instance, to Japanese Patent Publication No. Hei. 6-297952).
However, with the conventional sunroof device described above, when the sliding bodies slide along the guide rails in longitudinal directions, the elastic bodies move after the sliding bodies while pressing the bottom side of the movable blocks, and the structure causes a problem that the elastic bodies are subject to wear, the durability thereof thus being deteriorated.
Still further, in such a conventional vehicle sunroof device as shown in FIG. 19, a sliding lid (not shown) formed in a roof of a vehicle is supported on guide rails (a) disposed along both side edge portions of the opening. And the sliding lid has a substantially U-shaped cross section comprising a side wall (a1) on a side facing of the opening and a side wall (a2) on the side facing of the outside of the vehicle in such a manner as to slide in longitudinal directions, and a drain passage for receiving rain drops intruding from the opening into a gutter groove (a3) formed integrally with the guide rail (a). And further, the lid is slidably installed on a horizontal portion (a4) formed at an upper end of the side wall (a2) of the guide rail (a) on the side facing the outside of the vehicle via a shoe (c) in such a manner as to slide in accordance with opening and closing movements of the sliding lid.
In the conventional sunroof device described above, however, since the shoe (c) fixed to the drain (b) is fitted in the horizontal portion (a4) formed in the side wall (a2) of the guide rail (a) on the side facing the outside of the vehicle, the drain (b) has to be placed in such a manner as to bridge the side wall (al) on the opening side. Accordingly, the height of a portion of the curved drain (b) near the center thereof becomes higher, and both ends of the drain are also raised by the thickness of the shoe (c). Then this causes structure a problem that a height-wise dimension of a storing space between the roof and the ceiling becomes more larger than required. In addition, if the height of the side wall (a1) on the opening side is lowered in order to avoid the drain (b) for interfering with the same side wall, this also causes a problem that the interior of the guide rail (a) and respective parts installed therein are exposed to the interior of the passenger compartment, and then providing unfavorable appearance.